The History of Iran-
Iran was once the heart of the persian empire.
This empire stretched from India to Egypt and was one of the strongest Empires in history.
The empire broke up and hence the countries  of the middle east were born
In the early 1900's, the people of Iran felt that the rule of the qajars (the last ruling family) should come to an end.
Nationalistic movements throughout Iran led to the creation of the Constitutional movement, which then led to the Constitutional revolution. (1905-1911)
In 1908 the british struck oil in Iran and the power of remaining Qajar shahs were weakened.
A military commander by the name of Reza Khan (1878-1944) over through the Qajar dynasty and laid the foundation for the Pahlavi Dynasty which would last from 1925 to 1979.

 http://www.iranian.com/EskandariQajar/2003/November/Arfa/Images/arfa.jpg

Muhammad Reza-
During world war 1 the country of iran was occupied by british and russian forces. Reza Shah began to modernize the country during this time period.
The British and the Russians invaded iran and removed Reza Shah from the throne.
His son Muhammad Reza was then proclaimed Shah of Iran.

http://worldmeets.us/images/shah2_pic.jpeg (1919-1980)
Muhammad Reza followed his fathers dream of modernizing Iran. He joined the baghdad pact and help Iran recieve Military and economic aid from the U.S.
In the early 1960's Iran succeeding modernizing the country by introducing economic, political, social, and land reforms known as the White Revolution.
The growth of Iran's economy grew at a staggering and an unprecedented rate. The vast oil reserves in Iran also helped lead to modernization.
Though the country modernized, it only helped the wealthy, leaving the majority of the population poor.

The Fall of The Pahlavi Dynasty- 
In the 1960's the islamic clergy lead by Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini, started to protest against the government. Widespread religious protests through out Iran
lead to a complete rebellion against the government. Muhammad Reza was unable to take control of the situation and fled the country in 1978.
Ayatolla Khomeini returns from france after he was exiled in 1964 and began a revolution which would then lead Iran to becoming a theocratic government with islamic principles.
The Shah was finally overthrown in 1979.
The country of Iran is now in a state of chaos. Poor Economic and Political conditions now lead to association with terrorist group within the nation which lowers international support.

Key Events late 1800's - 2000

 18961907- Muzaffar al-Din Shah, who succeeds his father Nasir al-Din Shah to the Qajar throne, remains reliant on European financial support because of the dynasty's poor economic condition. The Belgians are granted control of the customs business and Russia provides loans.

 1901- Oil is discovered and rights to drill for the next sixty years are granted to the British entrepreneur William Darcy, who is to split his profits with the Qajar government. The British government buys out Darcy in 1909 and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company is founded in London, with the two administrations as business partners.

 19051906 The first protests of the Constitutional Revolution are triggered by an order to lower sugar prices. Muzaffar al-Din Shah finally agrees to proclaim a constitution and to establish a judiciary wing of the government, but is slow to institute the changes. Further protests staged at the British embassy lead to the creation of a parliament, or majlis, whose first session is held in 1906.

 1907- The Russians and the British sign an agreement that divides Persia into northern and southern spheres of influence.

 19081911- Civil war erupts after the parliament refuses to grant concessions demanded by Russia and England. Russian troops enter Persia, occupy Tehran, and kill many prominent Constitutionalists. Other cities rise in rebellion against Muhammad cAli Shah (18721925), and he is forced to flee to Russia.

 19141918- During World War I, Persia remains neutral but is occupied by British and Russian troops looking to control the country's oil reserves. Between 1919 and 1921, Persia agrees to become a British protectorate in order to avert occupation by Russia.

 1921- When the Persian parliament is reconvened, British protection is rejected and British troops are forced to withdraw. Reza Khan (18781944) takes advantage of the tumultuous situation, marching into Tehran and demanding that the shah name him commander of the military.

 1925- Reza Khan (18781944) deposes the last Qajar shah and proclaims himself head of the country, founding the Pahlavi dynasty. Many of his reforms parallel those in Turkey, and are meant to free the government from religious control. The culama establishment is weakened as oversight of education and law are taken over by the government, wearing of the veil is banned, and a new solar calendar is adopted. Various secular holidays based on ancient Persian traditions are instituted to replace religious ones. Reza Shah also constructs a Trans-Caspian Railroad linking the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea.

 1935- Iran replaces Persia as the name of the country.

 1941- During World War II, the British and Russians demand free transit and military support from Reza Shah. When he refuses, their troops invade and depose him; his young son, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi (19191980), takes the throne. After the war, the USSR refuses to remove its troops, and backs revolts in Azerbaijan and Kurdistan, which briefly proclaim themselves autonomous republics. After Muhammad Reza Shah visits the United Nations, the USSR is pressured to withdraw from the country.

 1949- Iran becomes a constitutional monarchy.

 1951- Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq (18801967) decides to nationalize the oil industry, until now under the partial control of the British and their Anglo-Persian Oil Company. The National Iranian Oil Company is then formed to manage the industry. Europe and the United States immediately impose a boycott, and British and American secret service agencies plot to take Mosaddeq down. He is removed from power in 1953, and the Shah negotiates new agreements with European oil firms.

 1963- The shah launches the White Revolution, which aims at many social reforms, including raising literacy, reforming land ownership laws, and improving rights for industrial workers and women. Many clergy, including the Ayatollah Khomeini (19001989), lead uprisings against the shah; Khomeini is exiled in 1964.

 1971- Iran occupies some Iraqi islands in the Persian Gulf and retains the territory after a 1975 settlement.

 1978- Jalal Al Ahmad's book Westoxication (Gharbzadagi) is openly distributed for the first time since its release in 1960.

 1979 -While the country has prospered from oil sales and the shah has initiated various development projects, many Iranians are angry with the uneven distribution of wealth and the shah's refusal to comply with all aspects of the 1906 constitution. Demonstrations against his rule begin in 1976 and reach a head in 1979, when he is forced to flee the country. Ayatollah Khomeini returns from exile in France to claim power. He announces the Islamic Republic of Iran and institutes a new constitution. The arrival of this government signals a shift in the direction the country is heading, away from Western-style reforms and toward the revival of Islamic traditions. Foreign arts and music are banned and women must wear the hejab; many Westernized Iranians leave the country. When the shah is allowed entrance to the United States for medical care, a group of the ayatollah's student supporters occupy the American embassy to protest the shah's ties to the U.S. Some of the people trapped in the building are immediately released, but some fifty-two remain hostage for 444 days.

 1980- The war between Iran and Iraq commences. The ostensible cause for war is a dispute over the Shatt al-Arab waterway that lies between the two countries, control of which is still contested despite a 1975 agreement. Other causes might have been Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's fear that Khomeini's rise in Iran would upset the balance between the Shici and Sunni populations in his own country, and his opinion that the new Iranian government would be an easy target for attack. Tensions between the countries heighten after a 1980 assassination attempt on Iraqi foreign minister Tariq cAziz (born 1936) is organized by Al-Dacwah, a group backed by Iran. A number of border skirmishes quickly escalate into war once Iraq claims control of the Shatt al-Arab. The war rages inconclusively for eight years, with many casualties on both sides. Peace is finally brokered in 1988 after several other countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union, become involved in the conflict.

 1980- Abolhassan Bani Sadr is elected president of the Republic, but Khomeini removes him from power in 1981. After his successor is killed in a bombing, Ali Khamenei (born 1939) is elected president.

 1989- Shortly before his death, Ayatollah Khomeini issues a fatwa calling on Muslims to kill author Salman Rushdie (born 1947), who is accused of being disrespectful of Islam in his novel The Satanic Verses.

 1995- The United States imposes a total ban on trade with Iran.
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 1997 -The election of Muhammad Khatami (born 1943) to the presidency allows for greater cultural and economic exchange with the United States and Europe. Khatami initiates the "dialogue of civilizations."

 1999- Students hold demonstrations at Tehran University, demanding greater freedom of expression.

 2000 -Reformist newspapers are banned.

Iran's Nuclear Crisis - 
